New season, lofty expectations: 5 questions facing South Carolina baseball team
The first pitch of baseball season is only a day away.
Mark Kingston’s South Carolina squad will open play at 4 p.m. Friday in the first of a three-game series against visiting UMass Lowell, and the Gamecocks head into the season with a jolt of fresh talent and lofty expectations.
No one inside the program was satisfied with last year’s injury-plagued 27-28 (13-17 SEC) performance. There’s a sour feeling — and a hunger — among the team’s returning players, who say they weren’t able to show fans who they really were last year.
Ranked No. 23 in the D1Baseball preseason poll, the Gamecocks should have the talent to get back into the postseason. But will they get there?
With the season set to start, here are five key questions facing this USC team.
Can the Gamecocks stay healthy?
Given the rash of crippling injuries the team dealt with last year, health is obviously paramount.
The bulk of the injuries came on the pitching side, with USC losing key arms in the form of Julian Bosnic, Jack Mahoney, James Hicks and others.
Bosnic is gone, but Mahoney and Hicks are healthy and ready to vie for weekend rotation roles, with Kingston saying Mahoney was touching 96 mph during the preseason.
The major injuries of note for USC heading into the season are a torn UCL for Notre Dame transfer Roman Kimball, who had Tommy John surgery in the fall, and shoulder surgery for Clemson transfer Ricky Williams. Both pitchers will miss the season.
Who will spark the offense?
The Gamecocks have not been a premier offensive club the last couple of seasons. In 2021, Wes Clarke and Brady Allen led a power-heavy lineup that produced long balls but was hampered by swing-and-miss issues and rampant strikeouts. Last season, the lineup was more contact and speed focused but ranked dead last in the SEC in team batting average and OPS.
The Gamecocks worked the transfer portal this offseason in the hopes of adding some juice to the lineup. Two left-handed bats in particular are worth watching. Oral Roberts transfer Caleb Denny hit .331 with 11 home runs last year, and Vanderbilt transfer Gavin Casas has big league bloodlines with his older brother playing for the Red Sox.
Otherwise, the Gamecocks will hope to see offensive progress from the talented Braylen Wimmer, a veteran middle-of-the-order bat who slipped in the draft after a somewhat disappointing junior season.
What impact will Monte Lee make?
One of the biggest, if not the biggest, headlines for USC in the offseason was former Clemson head coach Monte Lee joining Kingston’s staff after the Tigers fired him.
This will be Lee’s second stint as a staff member at South Carolina. He coached under Ray Tanner from 2003-08 before landing head coaching roles with College of Charleston and then Clemson.
Related to the question above about sparking the offense, Lee is known for his prowess as a hitting coach, and he also serves as recruiting coordinator for the Gamecocks.
Despite being in opposing dugouts in a fierce rivalry the last few years, Kingson has said that he and Lee believe in many of the same principles, and Lee should serve as a sounding board for Kingston as associate head coach.
Can the pitching staff live up to the hype?
In contrast to last season, when injuries ravaged the USC pitching staff, the Gamecocks appear to be loaded on the mound heading into this year. Kingston said he has six pitchers he believes could start on the weekend.
Will Sanders, Noah Hall and Mahoney, in that order, will get the first crack at weekend duties. Sanders has the stuff and size to be a top draft pick this summer, while Hall had a breakthrough season last year as USC’s big-game pitcher in SEC play.
The wild card for USC is freshman pitcher Eli Jerzembeck, who drew plenty of MLB Draft interest before deciding to come to school. The son of a former big-leaguer, Jerzembeck touches the upper 90s with his fastball and could pitch in a variety of roles for the Gamecocks with his electric stuff. Kingston called him “a weapon.”
What does Kingston’s future look like?
If there’s one thing to know about Gamecocks fans, it’s that they’re hungry for postseason appearances and Omaha trips, especially in the post-Tanner era for baseball.
There were hot seat rumors during last year’s losing season, and the Gamecocks surely can’t afford another.
In five seasons with the Gamecocks, Kingston has compiled a 138-109 record and has made the postseason twice. USC reached a super regional in Year 1 under the former South Florida coach, then missed the postseason the next year. The Gamecocks regrouped to earn a regional bid in 2021 after 2020’s lost COVID-19 season.
South Carolina’s Opening Weekend details
The No. 23 Gamecocks open with a Friday-Saturday-Sunday series at Founders Park. All three games will be streamed on SEC Network Plus.
Feb. 17: vs. UMass Lowell, 4 p.m.
Feb. 18: vs. UMass Lowell, 2 p.m.
Feb. 19: vs. UMass Lowell, 1:30 p.m.
2023 USC baseball schedule
Feb. 17-19: vs. UMass Lowell
Feb. 21: vs. Winthrop
Feb. 22: vs. Queens
Feb. 24-26: vs. Penn
Feb. 28: vs. North Carolina A&T
March 3-5: vs. Clemson
March 7: vs. The Citadel
March 8: at USC Upstate
March 10-12: vs. Bethune-Cookman
March 14: vs. Presbyterian
March 17-19: at Georgia
March 21: at Charlotte
March 24-26: vs. Missouri
March 28: at The Citadel
March 30-April 1: at Mississippi State
April 4: vs. North Carolina (Charlotte)
April 6-8: vs. LSU
April 11: USC Upstate
April 14-16: at Vanderbilt
April 18: Charleston Southern
April 20-22: vs. Florida
April 28-30: vs. Auburn
May 3: at Winthrop
May 5-7: at Kentucky
May 9: vs. North Florida
May 12-14: at Arkansas
May 16: vs. Charlotte
May 18-20: vs. Tennessee
